Reducing New Persistent Opioid Use After Surgery: A Review of Interventions.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review aims to summarize interventions used in the perioperative period to reduce the development of new persistent postoperative opioid use in opioid-naïve patients. RECENT FINDINGS: The development of new persistent opioid use after surgery has recently been identified as a common postoperative complication. The existing literature suggests that interventions across the continuum of care have been shown to decrease the incidence of new persistent postoperative opioid use. Specific preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative interventions will be reviewed, as well as the use of clinical pathways and protocols that span throughout the perioperative period. Common to many of these interventions include the use of multimodal analgesia throughout the perioperative period and an emphasis on a patient-centered, evidence-based approach to the perioperative pain management plan. While the incidence of new persistent postoperative opioid use appears to be high, the literature suggests that there are both small- and large-scale interventions that can be used to reduce this. Technological advances including prescription monitoring systems and mobile applications have enabled studies to monitor opioid consumption after discharge. Interventions that occur preoperatively, such as patient education and expectation setting regarding postoperative pain management, and interventions that occur postoperatively, such as the implementation of procedure-specific, evidence-based prescribing guidelines and protocols, have been shown to reduce post-discharge opioid consumption. The use of multimodal analgesia and opioid-sparing adjuncts throughout the perioperative period is central to many of these interventions and has essentially become standard of care for management of perioperative pain.

Patient and Surgery-Related Predictors of Acute Postoperative Pain.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of the present investigation is to provide a comprehensive review of both patient and procedure specific predictors of acute postoperative pain. RECENT FINDINGS: As the global number of surgeries continues to increase, as well as evidence of worse patient outcomes in those who suffer from poorly controlled postoperative pain, it is becoming more critical for perioperative physicians to have a deep understanding of the risks which might lead to increased pain in the immediate postoperative settings. It is also important to recognize potential tools to prevent the development and intensity of surgical pain. This manuscript begins with an investigation of the theorized mechanisms of postoperative pain, at the peripheral and central levels, which is followed by a discussion of current pain evaluation in humans. Additionally, an evaluation of patient- and procedure-specific predictors for the development of acute pain is summarized. As operative and patient specific risk factors continue to be revealed, they will ultimately serve as important tools to provide high-quality individualized patient care aimed at reducing incidence of severe postsurgical pain.

Bilateral Optic Disc Swelling Following Anastrozole Therapy.

A 56-year-old female with early-stage breast cancer, stage IA grade 1 endometrial cancer, and stage IC grade 1 ovarian cancer developed sudden-onset visual changes and right inferior visual field defect following anastrozole therapy. Examination revealed severe bilateral optic disc swelling and impaired visual acuity. Laboratory work-up was otherwise unremarkable. Anastrozole was discontinued and over the next month, patient had near-complete resolution of swelling in the right eye and improvement in the left eye. This is the only reported case of optic disc swelling following anastrozole therapy.

Severe early bilateral macular edema following fingolimod therapy.

We report a case of bilateral macular edema (ME) within 10 days of starting fingolimod 0.5mg therapy in a patient with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The complication resolved without treatment as demonstrated by sequential Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Fingolimod is a sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator that reduces lymphocyte presence in the CNS. In pivotal trials, ME, a known complication of fingolimod, typically occurred unilaterally with onset at approximately 3 months. A 60y/o AA female, diagnosed with MS in 1977, started oral fingolimod treatment on 05/31/2011. Baseline screening with OCT and ophthalmology evaluation showed no ME. On 06/10, she developed bilateral blurry vision and discontinued fingolimod. On 06/27, OCT revealed severe bilateral ME. Later OCT exams showed a progressive decrease in Central Foveal Thickness (CFT) and Macular Volume (MV), without specific treatment other than discontinuation of fingolimod. On 7/27, CFT, MV, and Visual Acuity (VA) were similar to baseline. This is the first reported case of bilateral, early onset ME following fingolimod treatment at the current FDA-approved dose of 0.5mg. Diabetes, a known risk factor for ME, may have contributed to her early, bilateral involvement. Our case provides further support for earlier OCT, in conjunction with ophthalmic examinations, for at-risk patients on fingolimod, and suggests that cessation of fingolimod may be associated with resolution of ME.

New program for efficient conversion of film-based teaching files to searchable Web-based teaching archive.

OBJECTIVE: A near-universal problem in radiology departments is the inaccessibility of traditional film-based teaching files. The intellectual wealth of generations of preceding radiologists is being squandered. Our objective was to develop an efficient method to convert these film-based archives to a digital and Web-searcheable teaching file. CONCLUSION: We present an efficient technique to convert large-volume hard-copy teaching files to a retrievable digital format using a new dedicated teaching file software program.